A deal that may see Disney invest $17 billion on its Florida resort and pave the way for the opening of a fifth sizable theme park at Walt Disney World is about to be approved by the parties, months after they reached a settlement to resolve a drawn-out court battle involving the appointees of Governor Ron DeSantis and Disney.
On Wednesday, the five supervisors selected by DeSantis to supervise the Disney World district will cast their votes on a new development agreement that the parties had decided to negotiate following the settlement of their state court litigation in March.
For the next fifteen years, Disney and the Central Florida Tourism and Oversight District would have an agreement.
Among other things, the district offers municipal services like planning, mosquito control, and firefighting.
For the most of its fifty years, it was run by supporters of Disney, but last year, DeSantis appointees took control of it.
As per the agreement, Disney would be permitted to construct two additional smaller theme parks, such as water parks, and a fifth large theme park at Disney World during the next ten or so years.
Laptops 1000The corporation could enhance the quantity of retail and restaurant space by more than 20% and boost the number of hotel rooms on its site from almost 40,000 rooms to over 53,000 rooms.
Disney would continue to be in charge of building heights because it needs to keep the atmosphere immersive.
Disney would have to contribute up to 100 acres (40 hectares) of its 24,000 acres (9,700 hectares) of Disney World to the district’s administration so that infrastructural projects could be built.
In addition, the business would have to invest at least $10 million in affordable housing for central Florida and give at least half of its construction contracts to Florida-based businesses.
Following Disney’s opposition to a Florida statute opponents nicknamed “Don’t Say Gay,” DeSantis took over the district from Disney supporters, sparking nearly two years of litigation, which culminated in a settlement in March.
The Republican governor, who utilized Disney as a punching bag in speeches until he halted his presidential campaign this year, pushed for the 2022 law, which forbids teachings on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades.
Through legislation enacted by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature, DeSantis took control of the governing district and established a new board of supervisors in retaliation for Disney’s resistance to the contentious law.
Laptops 1000Disney filed a lawsuit against DeSantis and his appointees, arguing that the company’s right to free expression had been infringed upon by its opposition to the measure.
Disney filed an appeal after a federal court dismissed the claim in January.Disney agreed to halt the federal lawsuit’s appeal as part of the March deal.
The Disney supporters on its board inked agreements with Disney giving the firm influence over design and construction at Disney World before leadership of the district shifted from Disney friends to DeSantis appointments early last year.
The district filed a lawsuit against the corporation in an Orlando state court, requesting the contracts be void, on the grounds that the new DeSantis appointees’ “eleventh-hour deals” had neutered their authority.
Disney asked the state court to deem the agreements enforceable and valid in their counterclaims. The March deal included the dismissal of those state court cases.
